Challenges in the Midst of Your Hope

Most of you know by now where my hope and faith come from. My Lord Jesus. That is also where my strength, wisdom, knowledge, perseverance comes from. Without Jesus and His Holy Spirit I would not have these in my life. I am totally convinced of that.
With that said, what do we do when we have challenges and "big" hurdles in the midst of that hope?
As you know, I have many health issues I struggle with. Most coming from the result of the spinal cord damage, and then others from the leukemia. These last several weeks I've had some hurdles to get over. I've had some new challenges. The question is how do I respond to these things without losing my hope and faith? How do I react so that I am not losing my trust that Jesus has His best for me?
I respond the only way I know how, prayer. I have to get into that quiet place with Jesus and have a nice comforting conversation with Him. I need to know that I am walking in the wisdom He has given me. I need to know that I am not relying solely on someone else's suggestion. Then I must take that wisdom and discern what is right for me. My doctor, whom I have a very good relationship with, understands my concerns, and even my fears. This is important. We need to have that type of trust. With her wisdom and knowledge, we talk things through, weigh the pros and cons, and together with my husband, make a decision that is best for me. But none of this happens before I have totally put my trust in Jesus, and had the conversation with him. I need to know I am walking in the path Jesus has set before me.
Okay, I can hear some comments now  "If you are trusting in Jesus then why aren't you healed?"
"If you want to trust Jesus, then why do you need a doctor to treat you?"
I have heard all of these comments many times. I do not have all the answers. But I do know my body is flesh. My body will never be perfect until the day I go to heaven. If Jesus chooses, He can heal me instantly, or over a period of time. But the one thing I have always believed is that I want Jesus to be glorified through my situation, and I want others to see the hope I have because of Jesus' love for me.
I want others to have hope for their own lives.
With all of that said, how do I keep that hope and faith in the midst of decisions. I have that personal relationship with Jesus so when I sit and spend time with Him, I know with my whole heart Jesus is with me no matter what. Even if I may not make the best decision, Jesus won't desert me. He will continue to guide me through my trials. That is faith and hope and trust in my Lord. And that is how I get through my challenges and maintain my hope.
You also can have that hope through any trial you go through. Jesus is always with you. He comforts us, fills us with His peace, floods us with His love, and has His arms around us.
Faithful readers, I pray that whatever your challenge is, whatever your hurdle is, you can reach deep within and pull out that hope, and run right through those hurdles. Jesus is right there with you.

The Groom’s Love for His Bride

Have you ever struggled to grasp ahold of just how much Jesus loves you?
During my study/devotion time one morning that thought came to mind. Think about a young couple getting married. The look on the grooms face when he sees his bride for the first time, ready to walk down the aisle, adorned in the most beautiful wedding dress ever, is priceless. You almost can not describe the joy and amazement on the young groom’s face. To him, the bride is the most beautiful lady he has ever seen.  There is so much love in his heart it feels like it is ready to explode.
Jesus, the Groom, loves us, His bride so much more than that.  We cannot, in the natural, even fathom how much Jesus loves us. And He is standing at the altar waiting for His bride to come. He loves us so much.
His love is generous. His love is truth. His love is massive. His love covers us like a huge blanket wrapped around us. His love protects us. His love is deep and vast and powerful.
There is no way we can measure His love. And there are not enough words to describe His love.
Think about that, Jesus is standing, with all of that love, waiting for you. WOW!!!
All of that love, I don’t deserve it. So how can I live up to that? With my whole heart sold out for Jesus. Living my life to serve Him. Laying down my old self, and living in a manner that glorifies Jesus. There is no way I will ever be perfect. There is no way I will get everything right. And neither will you.
So let’s not beat ourselves up trying to live up to the love Jesus has for us. Because we cannot. But what we can do is try our best, and put your best foot forward, all adorned in that beautiful clothing (in your heart), loving Jesus with every ounce of strength we have, and be ready for when He comes for His bride.
We have that promise in God’s Word, He is coming for His Bride.

For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.  - Isaiah 62:5

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  - Isaiah 61:10

The Groom is waiting for us, with so much love-we cannot even describe it.
Feel loved today my friends.

Do you feel cheated?

I have mentioned before that most of my blogs come from my own personal experiences. After all, what better way to have knowledge of something then when you have experienced it yourself.
This blog is definitely one of those experiences.
Many of you know that I have a spinal cord injury. As a result, most of the medical situations I have are a result of that injury, except the leukemia.
This week I had my checkup with my neurologist. The appointment went very well actually, with many things to think about. With this statement most would automatically think my exam was great and no issues. It actually was the opposite. With a spinal cord injury like mine, the deterioration is ongoing. So things are always changing. However, my husband and I came away from the visit with some new information and some possible new ways to manage my care. So even though my neurological status has changed, and will continue to do so, I came away from that visit encouraged.
That brings me to the question "have you ever felt cheated?" This is a legitimate question. Most of us have dealt with something "big" during our lifetime. It may be financial, health related, loss of a loved one, and so on. When those things come at us it can be a hard hit. They can knock the wind out of us. They can make hope appear dim. They can put us in a state of mind that is not healthy, we start to feel sorry for ourselves, we get depressed, we lose our fight. All because we feel cheated.
I want to tell you today that with Jesus by our side, we will never be cheated. He is the Lord God Almighty. He is all powerful. He reigns and rules over all the earth. And He loves us with His all. Knowing this, how can we feel cheated? We have a choice to sit and pout or rise up out of our chair and stand strong and move forward.
I choose life in Jesus. I choose victory with the help of Jesus. Sure, my walking isn't what it used to be. I can no longer work. I can no longer drive. I can no longer do the gardening I used to. And the list goes on. But what I can do is worship my Lord God with all my heart. I can sit and have a conversation with Jesus, and it stays between He and I. I can sit outside and enjoy the birds singing, and smell the flowers.  I can write a blog, encourage others, pray for others. So do I feel cheated, NO!  Absolutely not. I choose life. I choose victory. I choose to keep my mind focused on Jesus and all He has for me. I refuse to dwell in the negative.
You see, we all have a choice of how we will deal with our problems. Jesus is always by your side, He will never leave you. But are you letting Him be a part of your life and help you through your ordeal?
I want to encourage you faithful readers, there is always hope when we have Jesus by our side. There is always a love that never ends when we have Jesus by our side. There is always something to be thankful for, a reason to get up and move forward, and stop the negative thinking, because Jesus is bigger than any of those things, and He will give you the strength to keep going.
Am I content having a spinal cord injury, of course not. Am I content not being as physically active as I once was, of course not. Am I content with Jesus by my side, absolutely. Because He is stronger and bigger than any of those things, therefore He will get me through the tough times and make me victorious. He will give my doctors wisdom for my treatment, He will give me wisdom and knowledge so I can fill my mind with encouraging and positive thoughts and ideas.
I share this with you, my friends, so that you can be encouraged and rise up in victory with Jesus by your side. I pray that you all find the hope, love, peace, comfort, and strength that Jesus has for you. We all matter to Him. Every single one of us has a purpose. So don't feel cheated. When something is lost, Jesus will give you something new. That, my friends, is encouraging.